Miscommunication
by Icedrift36
Summary: A one-shot based on the idea that Beastboy isn't actually as stupid as everyone believes. BBxRae if you squint really hard. R&R's would be much appreciated.


Raven blinked her violet eyes open and looked towards a clock resting upon a nightstand nearby. It read 3:05. As in, in the morning. Why was she even awake at this time? She didn't have the slightest clue. There had been a rough battle with Plasmas the day before, she should have been able to pass out the second her head hit the pillow, and yet here she was. Awake at this insane hour.

Letting out a frustrated sigh the girl crawled from her bed and pulled on her usual blue cloak to cover the black leotard. Maybe some herbal tea would help her get to sleep.

The last thing she expected to see when she stepped into the common room was Beastboy. Yet when she stepped into the room that was exactly what she saw. The green teenager was sitting on the couch. She'd normally have assumed he fell asleep there or was up playing video games, but the TV was off and his pointed ears twitched when the door opened. Clearly he was awake. What in the world was he doing then?

Curious, the girl levitated over, causing him to shuffle around in alarm.

"Oh- uh- hi dude," he greeted, stuffing something underneath a cushion. He looked up at her with a smile painting his features, the single fang poking proudly out over his lip. "Can I help you with anything?"

His words were rushed, adding to the suspicion he was keeping secrets from her. This slightly annoyed Raven, but she didn't say as much... in words anyway. Her expression spoke entirely for her. She cocked a single brow upwards in an expression of skepticism. "What are you doing up?" she asked, her voice the usual monotone.

"Nothing," he replied, a bit too quickly to seem at all honest.

Her expression became more incredulous, causing the younger teen to crumble and give in.

"Alright, fine. If you really want to know, I was reading." With that said he reached for the thing he had tucked under the cushion and passed it to Raven.

Raven was expecting some type of dirty magazine, or maybe a childish comic book. She was rather shocked when it turned out to be a Swahili-English dictionary. From the looks of it, one that had been read and re-read a thousand times or more. There were multi-coloured tabs sticking out from different sections. She opened the book and scanned through it. Sure enough, it was heavily marked, key phrases and passages hi-lighted to bring them to attention.

After skimming through it, she returned the book to her teammate and friend. "I didn't know you spoke Swahili," she commented. The usual monotone had a slight hint of surprise mingling into it. Who would have thought Beastboy of all people could understand more than one language?

The boy shrugged and took the book back from her. "I was raised speaking Swahili," he explained.

This statement caught her attention. The girl looked at him with surprise. She would have never suspected his first language to be anything but English. He spoke English very well for it being his second language. "You were raised in Africa then?"

"Yeah," he answered, "my parents were re-located there to progress their studies while my mother was pregnant with me. I'm technically African."

"Oh really?" She was finding it hard to believe what he was saying. It all sounded too weird to be true. "Say something in Swahili then, and no looking at the book. That would be cheating." As she said this she folded her arms over her chest, shooting him with a look that dared him to try and keep the charade going. She was expecting him to give in and admit that he was joking. He didn't.

"What do you want me to say?"

She rolled her eyes, allowing the annoyance to shine through slightly. "I don't know, anything. It doesn't really matter. Try saying something like 'hello, my name is Beastboy' I guess." She didn't see why it mattered.

"Hujambo, jina langu ni Beastboy."

The response was too swift and confident to be anything other than natural. Raven was reluctant to admit it, but the story seemed to check out. Biting back a sigh she decided to ask the next question that jumped to mind. "So, why do you need the dictionary then? You've obviously been speaking English for a long time. You seem fluent enough in it to me."

Now it was Beastboy's turn to sigh. His expression became wistful and he glanced towards the book in his hands. "Not really. I always say the wrong or inappropriate thing, thinking it means one thing when it actually means something else entirely. I mean, I've had some lessons, but my teacher was... crummy..."

Things were starting to make sense to Raven that hadn't before. Was a simple thing like a language barrier the only reason he always seemed so stupid? Not knowing a language well was certainly something that would cause confusion. Then her thoughts zeroed in on something else he had said. "...some lessons..." That implied that most of what he learnt had been self-taught. If so, even she had to admit it was impressive how far he had come. "No one ever sat down with you and taught you English?" she asked, seeking clarification although she had a sneaking suspicion she knew the answer already.

He shook his head no. "My Uncle tried to teach me for a bit, but his methods weren't very good."

She allowed the words to sink in, digesting them slowly. "I see." That was all she said before turning and making her way to the kitchen-area. There she turned on the kettle while grabbing her mug with her powers and setting it on the table. At the same time she used her powers to grab a tea bag and place it into the mug. All the while, thoughts caused the gears in her head to churn.

"Raven?" Beastboy's voice sounded from behind her, causing the girl to turn and look at him.

"Yes?"

"Y-you- uh- you won't tell anyone about this, will you?" He looked like a shy little kid asking for just one cookie before dinner. His emerald eyes with filled with apprehension and he appeared to be holding his breath. His ears however were perked slightly, awaiting her answer.

"I won't tell anyone," she confirmed, "I promise."

"Thanks Raven!" he exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. "Well, I should go and try to get some sleep before Robin marches us into morning training." He was grinning once more, even laughing a little, as if trying to lighten the more serious mood. With that he turned and made his way to the door.

"Beastboy?" Raven called after him, causing his ears to twitch and him to pause in his way to the door.

"Yes?"

"If you ever need any help that you can't get from that book, you can always ask me. I'd be... happy, to help." As she said this she felt blood rush to her cheeks, giving them a reddish hue. She even offered a slight smile, hoping to seem encouraging.

Beastboy looked at her for a moment, considering the idea. Then he offered a smile. This smile was different than the usual overly wide ones. It was shy, insecure and filled with sincerity that was often absent. "I'd like that."

* * *

**I used google-translate for the Swahli and it seemed alright, but I don't personally know the language so please don't be offended if there's a mistake. I just know Beastboy probably does know the language, based on his backstory.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy it. R&R's are much appreciated.**


End file.
